Re: Flash 3 vs. Liquid Motion

[colin]

> I had the non-pleasure of running onto

> the blokes who hacked this Java app at a trade show here in L.A. 


There's actually quite an interesting

history behing LMP.  Originally, the

software was developed by a company 

called DimensionX.  I believe it was

founded by the original co-author of

the Java language.  They were the second

company to license Java for web use,

Netscape being the first.


I had the opportunity to test out the

original Liquid Motion Pro, before 

MS snatched it up, and found it to be

an excellent visual development tool

for the time(96.)  But, it's implementation

on the web was problematic and downright

buggy.  Applets would load halfway and

die.


The program was also astronomically priced,

as you mentioned, at $800.  You could have

the same basic functionality with [remember

this?] Macromedia's Applet Ace freeware. 


But, then came the height of the Java frenzy

and MS was buying anything they could that 

was associated with the language.  They paid

some undisclosed sum for DimensionX, moved

their developers up here, and then gave away

LiquidMotionPro for free on their website.


But, LMP was completely incompatible with

IE4's JavaVirtualMachine.  You couldn't even

install the program on a machine that also

had IE4 installed.  Why?  Because the program

itself was written in 100% pure Java, and the

MS implementation obsoleted their own product.


So, I think what we're seeing here is a newly

revamped "compatible"(in the loosest sense

of the term) version.


But, to the query of the original posting,

have you checked out the flash java examples?

I have been quite impressed at how the vectors

translate.  Take a look at this in particular:


http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/how/subjects/jpdemo/high.html


If you really wanted to compare Liquid Motion Pro

to one of Macromedia's tools, I'd say that Direcor

6.5 would be a more accurate comparison.  Director

is now a full-blown Java development tool, even

though Macromedia is somewhat silent in saying so.

Director now outputs custom Java Class files, as

opposed to  simply attaching it's actors to premade

applets.  Macromedia licensed their Java implementation

from Metrowerks, and I'd definately be more comfortable

going with a cross-platform/browser Metrowerks/MM

tool, than a proprietary MSJava program.  Might want

to check that out if you are serious about Java.



Kind Regards,


colin hand.



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